Pressure releasing valve for test pipes



Patented Apr. 27, 1954 r,rnnssono;nonnfglginvwommscr- Hanan !n Grooke,J! Annlicationrlanuasyd, 1951;fScliElN0 2.045458 The present inventionrelates to improvements in pressure releasing valves vfor "test deisions is of the type. to be used to release thellowerfhole pressure ofan oil Well .for testing pur oses. .aiter the casing packer has been setandrexpflnded.

,An object oirthe presentinventionisto nroride an improved releasingvalve fortconnectiongwifh a 126st pipe whereby the ,pressuresof the 7bottom hole .normally .urges the releasing Valve to closed position forpreventing flow through the 151116 members to thesurfaceof the well.

. A ,further object of the present invention ,is {to provide a ,meansfor .unseating th ,-r eleas ,e .val,ve from engagement with the valve,seat betweenothe pipe member and tubular .casing ,and wherein-la valvea e is disposed .below the release valveior receiving the valve uponunseating movement thereof.

it .further object of the present invention istito provide a pistonvalve reciproca'bly en a qdtin the lower pipe-member and tubular. casi gwhereby the bottom hole pressure will be exerted against the pistonvalve for urging the same wardly and increasing the pressure in thechamber within thetubular casing.

'Still another objectof thepresentinventionds .to insert the meteringdisklihetween ithfispiston valveand the releasin valve whereby themovement of the piston valve will he .lliifiitedi'ihY thefrl w of'fiu dt u h t openingsJnthemeterin valve disk.

A still further object of the present-invention resides in the provisionof a tubular element having a partition wall "formed at an "intermediateportion thereof for preventing communication therethrough and whereinthewa'llsvor the tubula-r element ,are formed'with opening ibothaboveand below the partition wall, the loweropenings providing communicationbetween "the bottom hole and the underside of' the pistonfor'normallyurgingthe piston upwardly wherehy'theholes in :the upper wallsof'thetubular element willflaesenuentially uncoveredin responseto upwardmove ment-ofthepiston valve.

"Various other objects and advantageswhi he come apparent from thedetailed 'descriptioneto follow. The best form in which 'Irontemplatedapplying my"inventi0nis clearlyillustratedjin the accompanyingdrawings,- wherein Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectionaliyiewtaken substantially along the longitud nal. axis of thejtest. pipe;

,iEi ure 12 is.a viewsimilar .toiEigureiIbut wherein the .release valvehas,..b,een-doW1Lwa-1ld}y ,nggegl in response to the means for unseatingthe releasesvwlveiand wherein the piston valve has been moved upwardlyin response to pressure of the iiivottonrdro'le, thereby uncoveringopenings in the walls of the tubular element for providingflow.through-thetest pipe to the surface of the well; dfligure '3 is ahorizontal transverse sectional gview taiken-;substantiaily along theplane of the "line3- 3offFigur-e'-1 figure 4 is a horizontal transversesectional view taken-substantially along the 'plane of'iine 4-11 ofFiure 1 and Figure75 is a horizontal detail sectional view ;peredranflzexternally threaded, a tubular easing u ad iiaiIly'aligned Withthe first pipe 20 and *threadably secured thereto by a complementaryh'walve threadedhorelfi. A second pipe'member'2'8 'lsittireaglejdlyjinserted'into the lower internally-taered-gandithreadedbore '30 of the tubular casin; v4-

"'Smifirs pip member 20 is .formed With a first hone a second taperedbore in communination therewith .andv providing a valve seat 34,. pagethis threadably supported by the "lower-rend of-itho first pipe member.20 and has a plurality of apertures .38 formed therein toprohideroommunication between the tapered hore jgrmirigwthe r-yalve seat 34 ofthe first pipememyher L231 iand'vthe--ex.t ;i= rio1? of the valve cage.36. itrhepressureivalve means I4 is comprised-of a member Azyhaving anvupper tapered seating portion '44 and a lower tapered nose portion '45.flhesllpperitaperedportion A4 is grooved at do; rreeeivinea sealing ring50 whereb when the praise M is it upp rmost p iti n, th rsealin no =50"will .be en aged against the valve mnsealin pur oses.

lmih eiupper-lendiof the valve member 42 is-a reduced axially extendingportion 52 which is disposegi-iinrthehore 32 when the valve is in its u1 i ezzmosti osition.

means .Ior unseatingithe valve member A2 xzistm llpnised nfgtheelongated rod 54'havingspring guides 56 peripherally secured thereto foren d gagement with the walls of the bore 32 for longitudinal guidingmovement. The lower end of the rod 54 is engageable with the reducedaxially extending portion 52 of the valve member 42 whereby downwardmovement of the valve rod 54 will unseat the valve 42 from the valveseat 34.

The lower end of the tubular casing 24 is formed with a groove at 58 forseating the metering disk It therein, the upper end of the second pipemember 28 being in abutment therewith for fixedly supporting themetering disk Hi. The metering disk I6 is formed with at least onemetering aperture 62 for restricting the flow there-- through. Themetering disk 16 is also formed with an enlarged opening 64 with asealing ring 66 seated within the inner periphery thereof. If desired,the cage 36 can be omitted and Having described the invention,

the metering disk l6 made integral with the casing 24.

The lower second pipe member 28 is formed with an enlarged bore 58 forreciprocably guid ing the piston valve means l8, anda secondreduceddiameter bore 16 in communicationwith the bottom hole. v

The bore 10 is internally threaded atv 12 andja tubular element 14 hasits lower end threadedly engaged therein. The tubular element '14 isformed with a longitudinally extending bore 16 with a partition wall 18dividing the bore 16 into an upper portion 80 and a lower portion 82.The walls of the tubular element 14 are apertured below the partitionwall 18 at 84 and above the partition wall at 86. The apertures 86 areupwardly staggered for a purpose to be hereinafter described. 1

The piston valve means l8 iscomprised of a piston disk portion 88 havinga sealing ring seal 90 peripherally formed thereon for sealingengagement with the walls of the bore 68. The piston disk portion 88 hasaxially extending ther'e from the tubular portion 92 which isreeiprocably guided on the tubular element 14.

The upper end of the tubular portion 92 of the piston valve means It is.engaged in the opening 64 and is in sealing engagementwith the sealingring 66 and a sealing ring 94 carried externally of said tubular element14 in alignment with the metering disk l6.

In view of the foregoing description, taken in conjunction with thedrawings, it is believed'that one skilled in the art will readilyunderstand the manner in which the releasing valve and associated meansoperate. When it is desired to provide communication between the bottomhole and the bore 32 of the first pipe member 26, the rod 54 isdownwardly urged for engagement against the upper end of the valvemember 42. Of course, until the rod 54 is downwardly urged, the valve 42is maintained in sealing engagement with the valve seat 34 by means ofthe pressure within the chamber H of the tubular casing 24, the pressurein the chamber H being maintained by the bottom hole pressure againstthe piston valve means l8.

As soon as the valve 42 has been unseated, it will be received in thecasing 36 to prevent further downward movement thereof. Communicationwill thereby be afforded between the chamber II and the interior of thevalve cage 36 and also through the valve seat or body to the bore 32 ofthe pipe member 20.

Upon release of the pressure within the chamber H, the valve pistonmeans l8 will move upwardly in response to pressure from the bottom holethrough the apertures 84. The flow of fluid from behind the piston disk88 will be restricted through the aperture or apertures 62 in themetering disk It. As the piston valve means l8 moves upwardly, theopenings 88 in the tubular element 14 will be sequentially incommunication with the bottom hole, thereby providing communicationbetween the bottom hole and the chamber I l and thence to the bore 32 ofthe pipe member 20. "Thus, the flow through the test pipe will beeffectively controlled by the metering disk It and will graduallyincrease in response to upward movement of the piston valve means l8 andcovering the op gs 6- what is claimed as new is:

1. A valve for pipe strings comprising a pipe member, a threadedprojection on the lower end of said. pipe member, an internally threadedtubular casing threaded on said pipe member, the bores of the tubularcasing and pipe member being in communication with each other, the borein the lower end of the pipe member downwardly diverging to form a valveseat, a tapered valve normally located within said valve seat, saidvalve having a seal ring mounted in an annular groove, saidseal memberproviding a tight seal with the valve seat, means disposable within saidpipe string for unseating said valve. 2. A valve for pipe stringscomprising a pipe member, threaded projection on the lower end of saidpipe member, an internally threaded tubular casing threaded on said pipemember, the bores of the tubular casing and pipe member being incommunication with each other, the bore in the lower end of the pipemember downwardly diverging to form a valve seat, a tapered valvenormally located within said valve seat, said valve having a' seal ringmounted in an annular groove, said seal member providing a tight sealwith the valve seat, rneans disposable within said pipe string forunseating said valve, the lower end of the threaded projection extendinginto said casing, a valve cage threaded onto the lower end of saidthreaded projection and locking said casing to said pipe member, saidvalve being receivable within said cage upon unseating movement.

3. A valve for pipe strings comprising a first pipe member, a tubularcasing secured to the lower end of said first pipe member, bores of thetubular casing and first pipe member being in communication with eachother through an opening formed by a valve seat between the casing andfirst pipe member, a valve member engageable with said valve seat, meansfor unseating said valve member, a second pipe member secured to saidtubular casing and communicating with the bore'thereof, and a pistonmember mounted in said second pipe member, the bore of said casingforming a fluid chamber, said piston member projecting into and beingreciprocably positioned within said fluid chamber in sealed relationwith a peripheral wall of said fluid chamber, said fluid chamber beingcommunicated with the exterior of said second pipe member by a borethrough said second pipe member and including an enlarged bore in saidsecond pipe member, the pressure at the bottom of an oil well holeupwardly urging said piston member for increasing the pressure in saidchamber, thereby normally urging said valve member into engagement withsaid seat when the casing and pipe members are lowered in the oil wellhole, a tubular element having an intermediate portion thereof closed bya partition wall to prevent communication therethrough, said tubularelement being fixedly secured to said sec- 0nd pipe member, said pistonmember being reciprocably received on said tubular element, a portion ofsaid tubular element on one side of said partition wall having openingsformed in the wall thereof to provide communication between the bores ofsaid second pipe member and the underside of said piston valve means forurging the same upwardly, and a portion of said tubular element abovesaid partition wall having staggered openings formed in the wall thereofsequentially uncovered by upward movement of said piston member.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTSName Date Otis May 30, 1933 Johnston Mar. 9, 1937 Dripps Apr. 4, 1939ONeill et a1 June 4, 1940 Otis et a1 Sept. 4, 1945

